


Debriefing

by thunderbird_dragon



Category: Thunderbirds, thunderbirds are go
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 13:57:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18993997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderbird_dragon/pseuds/thunderbird_dragon
Summary: Deep Ocean - Season 3 - a little headcannon following this episode.Is Gordon in trouble after his mission or is there just a chance that he's grown up?





	Debriefing

                                        

**DEBRIEFING**

                                              

 

Debriefing on Tracy Island was often little more than a quick check that all went well, but today was slightly different.  Every single one of them had had their own missions and every single one had had issues – they needed to talk.  Even John had come to the island to explain why he’d had to take EOS offline to complete his task.  Scott and Virgil had very quickly realised their two rescues had suffered from the same type of malfunctioning equipment and needed to discuss adjustments with Brains.  And Alan?  Alan had simply needed to be reassured he’d done the right thing throughout, his had been a complicated and difficult rescue.

Grandma had made extra coffee and sat back to watch their animated faces as they worked their way through all the incidents that had caused such a major debrief.

Until Gordon walked in.

He had that happy little face he kept for when he knew he’d done everything he could on his mission.

But his expression dropped away the moment the room went silent.

He tried a “Hi guys, how’d you all get on?”

And realised immediately that all their own worries melted into insignificance against what he had done.

“Eh? Am I in trouble or something?”  He offered again.

“Understatement of the week!”  Alan chimed in, then went silent again at frowns from John and Virgil.

“Not trouble exactly.”  Scott wanted to give him a chance before he exploded into his full ‘what the hell did you think you were doing!’ phase.  After all, it was Gordon and Kayo who were teaching him yoga and meditation to help him control is frustrated anger.

Gordon had stopped at the rim of the seating.  He knew!  Of course he knew – but rather than come right out and admit it, he just stood still, rabbit in headlights and feeling cold sweat breaking out down his neck and between his shoulder blades.

Then he realised he’d left it too late to speak, too silent for too long to recover quickly.

Scott stood up, “Dad’s den I think.” and he led the way.

Virgil raised an eyebrow, Alan looked to John and Grandma wrung her hands.

Everyone knew what going to Dad’s den meant.

A full dressing down – possibly accusations of misconduct – definitely Scott telling it like it is.

Gordon followed, shoulders low, he knew what was coming.

Did he deserve it?  He wasn’t sure.  He’d certainly make a good attempt at justifying it.

Scott chose not to sit in his father’s favoured chair but perched instead on the long leather chesterfield under the windows, and beckoned Gordon to sit too.

“Okay, okay, I know I broke Dad’s first rule of rescue.”  Gordon finally found his voice, it was a little bit higher than normal – stressed perhaps?

Scott was breathing slowly, keeping himself calm, in the past, he may have wanted to grab his brother and shout at him about risking his life unnecessarily, but no… he wanted to keep this calm, private from the others maybe, but calm.

“No one got hurt Scott, the rescue was textbook – in, out, little risk, two victims saved.”  He waited, “Don’t I at least get credit for that against the rest?”

Scott nodded, “Maybe but we all do that Gordon, every day.  Your fault was going back after that, the human life was safe…”

“But the marine life wasn’t Scott, don’t they get a chance too?”

Scott was suddenly reminded of a terrible night, where he and Virgil had had to physically drag Gordon off an island beach, kicking and screaming that the hatching turtles needed to be saved from the oncoming tsunami the same as the humans did, that the humans were already safe on TB2 but he still had time to gather up more tiny turtles.  Gordon had spoken to no-one for 10 days after that situation.  

Scott needed to tread carefully here.

He leaned forward and rested a hand on Gordon’s, “Guess they do, Gordo.”

Gordon eyed the hand suspiciously, he hadn’t expected that.  He tried a sceptical “But?…”

“No buts, you’re just as much a marine biologist as you are a member of International Rescue, it’s no wonder the lines between blur a little.”  Scott knew that the portrait photograph of his father was on the den desk watching the two of them, keeping an eye on their safety.  How on earth would his father have dealt with this?  When Jeff had last seen Gordon, the boy had been at that difficult age they’d all gone through, though for Gordon, it seemed worse, into everything he shouldn’t have been, too quick to make rash decisions. But he’d grown out of most of that, he was rational, still quick but with that edge that stayed his hand just long enough to make the right decisions – his father would have been proud of how he turned out.

Scott took a breath and began, “It’s just…”

“Oh here it comes.”  Gordon tried to pull away.

“Please, I’ve given you a chance, now do the same for me!”  Scott looked up to hold Gordon’s stare.  “It’s just that sometimes I worry, like Dad used to, y'know?  I know you won’t have it that I’m responsible for you, but I kinda think – feel – I am.  You’re too much like me, quick to respond and you take just that little degree of extra risk.”

“Like you!”  Gordon wished he hadn’t interrupted but Scott’s quick grin in agreement made him think otherwise.

Scott took a moment before adding, “Yeah, guess so.”  He tugged at Gordon’s hand and they met for a brotherly hug.

Was that it?  Was that it over?  Gordon could hardly believe it.  Then Scott spoke again.

“Lady Penelope says you did a great job.”  Scott straightened and watched his brother intently, there had been something just slightly off in Penny’s comm that had him intrigued.

Gordon felt a sudden warmth in his tummy, but worked with every technique he knew not to let a blush tinge his ears and flood across his face. “Did she say anything else?”  He asked calmly.

And with that Scott wondered what had actually happened between them. “Only that without you going back to the wreck, there could have been a greater disaster, indicating a risk to human life.”  And again he waited for some deeper reaction.

Gordon caught the grin that wanted to explode onto his lips, she had backed him up, even exaggerated the situation to help him.  She would have known how the family would have reacted.  

Aww, maybe she did like him best!


End file.
